48 hours in NYC
By Grace Palsgrove
Editor
The AAA Touch

Take four women and put them in New York City. Add fabulous meals, a wax museum, a pinch of shopping, a Broadway play and an experience in the audience of a TV show and you’ll mix up an unforgettable weekend!

I went with a girlfriend, her daughter and her daughter’s friend. We decided to stay in Midtown in the Times Square area to be within walking distance to many of our destinations. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Times Square on Eighth Avenue between 48th and 49th streets, which was reasonable due to my AAA membership. I did a little research at aaa.com and many hotels in the area have special offers depending on the time of year or days of the week. You can spend less than $200 up to $700+ per night. We stayed for less than $200 a night and splurged elsewhere. The room was clean, larger than I expected and had a mini refrigerator and microwave - more than what we needed, but convenient. Surprisingly, four women didn’t power shop. We browsed through some of the small boutiques as we passed and marveled at all of the items offered on the sidewalks. I bought my souvenirs in the theater district. We did, however, make it to Macy’s, 151 W. 34th St., at Herald Square, to experience the wooden escalators. This store is nine floors high and the higher you go, the older the escalator is until it is completely made of wood. Considering the traffic on these stairs, it has held up marvelously. After fighting throngs of women during a sale in the shoe department, we decided to experience Madame Tussaud’s New York, 234 W. 42nd St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues.

We marveled at the lifelike figures of our favorite stars and posed with some of them for pictures. One of our favorite rooms was the "Opening Night Party" where stars and museum guests mingle. Give yourself at least one and a half hours to walk through. Madame Tussaud’s opens daily at 10 a.m. Call ahead for closing times, which vary, 1-800-246-8872. They offer 15 percent off admission until May 31, and www.HitShow.com (which was recently introduced in the AAA Central Penn E-newsletter), also offers discounts if a dinner and show or DayTrip package is purchased.

Seeing a Broadway play is a top priority when I go to New York so we secured tickets to a fantastic Sunday matinee of "Hairspray" at the Neil Simon Theatre, 250 W. 52nd St., between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. A little research on aaa.com and HitShow.com can save some money on select shows. Those who opt to buy tickets while in New York can still get discounts on theater tickets for Broadway and off-Broadway shows at the TKTS booth in Times Square at Broadway and 47th Street. Ticket purchase hours are 3-8 p.m. for Monday-Saturday tickets and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. for Wednesday and Saturday matinee tickets. Sunday tickets go on sale at 11 a.m. You need to pay with cash or travelers checks and lines form early. For information, call 212-221-0013.

We planned to go because we had tickets to see Regis and Kelly. This was an experience I would recommend at least once, just to say you did it. But realize to get a good seat you’ll wait two and a half to three hours to watch a one-hour show. If you get the bug, you can see many shows, including Tony Danza and The View. You can get the tickets in advance by contacting the guest relations offices of the respective networks, or you can wait standby. The trick is to get there early. We took a cab to West 66th Street and stood outside the ABC building at 7 a.m. with our letter of confirmation in hand. Seats are first come, first served. We had to be there no later than 8:30 a.m. for the show, which airs live at 10 a.m. At 8:30 a.m., those waiting standby get the seats of those who just couldn’t get out of bed that morning.

Well, the early birds caught the worm that day - not only did we get great seats in the middle of the row, Regis and Kelly stood directly in front of us during the commercial breaks. Regis even autographed a CD for my friend. Yes, they were as funny and charming during the breaks as they are on the air, and Kelly Ripa was tinier and prettier in person than I imagined she could be.

Finding wonderful eateries wasn’t a problem, either.

We had a wonderful Italian meal at La Rivista, 313 W. 46th St. (212-245-1707). The food was fantastic, fresh and filling. The service was impeccable. La Rivista is within walking distance of the Broadway shows. A pianist begins playing after 8 p.m. Reservations are suggested.

Another memorable dinner was on the 21st floor of the Times Square Hilton, 234 W. 42nd St. We had a window seat looking down on it all. This restaurant, which advertises the only certified master chef in New York City (Brad Barnes), offered a lobster chowder appetizer that was out of this world. Dinners range from $31-$50 and are served from 5:30-10 p.m. daily. The bar next to the dining room specializes in martinis.

I can’t wait to go back for another weekend, only to experience a completely different New York City.